First and foremost, happy New Year. I hope 2013 is a great year for all of you.
Late 2012 marked the mid-point of the UK Coalition government’s five year term and this week the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister published the Government’s own mid-term review.
Given the interest in Sweden on the UK’s approach to the EU, I thought I would summarise here some of the key points on Europe:
– The Government is committed to membership of the European Union. The future of our economy is deeply connected to the stability and prosperity of the EU.
– It is therefore in our interests that the immediate crisis in the Eurozone should be resolved as speedily and effectively as possible.
– In the long run, European Union prosperity depends on free and open markets. We are committed to working for the completion of the single market.
– At the same time, we will oppose any new burdensome and costly regulatory proposals which threaten our competitiveness, and, alongside like-minded allies, insist on discipline in European Union spending.
The review sets out some of the Government’s key priorities for the year ahead, including:
– We will insist on a tough, fiscally responsible outcome of the negotiations on the next EU seven-year budget framework, continue to make the case for Common Agricultural Policy reform and prevent any changes to the British rebate.
– We will continue vigorously to defend Britain’s interests in the negotiations on a banking union and protect the competitiveness of the City of London and UK financial services. The safeguards that we have achieved in the initial banking union negotiations set a crucial precedent, and will protect countries such as the UK which are not part of the single supervisory mechanism.
– We will continue to lead the EU growth agenda – with the aim of removing unnecessary regulations particularly for small and innovative companies, deepening and widening the single market and liberalising trade, notably by negotiating a free trade deal with the US.
Those three areas – ensuring a realistic budget for the EU, ensuring that the rights of all member states are respected, in particular with regard to the Single market, as the Eurozone integrates, and a focus on growth and trade – are all areas where the UK and Sweden will, I am sure, continue to work closely together in 2013 and beyond.
Dear Paul, 1st. of all : A happy new year 2013 to your team and to you.
So , let ´s get back to business again. This brand new year is waiting with all of its chances and new ideas. Of course, I can ´t agree to all of the mid-terms topics which you have described so well. But I do full support t the following “Key-Points”: # 1: The commitment of the governments membership to the EU. I also do believe, do think that meanwhile the ties between Great Britain and Europe are too strong- much too much deeply connected in a positive sense. Europe and its economy are needing the United Kingdom – and so is the situation for Great Britain too.
# 2 : If you are thinking in longer terms it ´s absolutely a “must” to work and to improve this EU- Single Market. `Till one happy day it ´s completed to the benefits of all.# 3: The next 7 years budget framework. It ´s also absolutely necessary by the British Government to “control” where all that money goes, where it ´s useful to use it – but don ´t abuse it. Like the reform of this Common Agricultural Policy.# 4 : Removing unnecessary regulations. Esp. “small” but ” innovative” companies. They really don ´t need further regulations on nearly every area. BECAUSE they are not such big one players they are able to act and react within the context of a more liberalised market much faster and much more economically/effectfull. In other words: Much more successfully. At least it ´s my opinion.
BW, Ingo-Steven Wais, Stuttgart